Trapped
Sirius felt magic pulse over his wrist, the mirrored surface of his watch changing to a blur of color. The screaming came next.
"Who are you!"
The miniature world stopped shaking, and he could make out Hermione's angry face glaring directly at him. This act confused Sirius as the young girl not only had her own mirror but was well-versed in using it.
"I know you're an animagus. You have been following my cousin all week. Are you the one who entered his name into the cup?"
Clearly, whoever Hermione was speaking to would not have crossed the Blacks if they were trusted with a mirror. Then, it dawned on him.
Rita.
Of the children, only Hadrian and Neville had been informed of the woman's animagus form. Hermione, the bright and intelligent witch she was, could and had quickly figured out that Hadrian was being watched. Only, she didn't know that it was at Sirius's request.
"Fuck."
Sirius rushed out of his office and through the halls of the Black School House. He only hoped Hermione was in her dorm room. He also cursed Dumbledore as the man hadn’t loosened up on the ability to apparate on Hogwarts grounds if he was within his own schoolhouse. Jogging up the final staircase, he turned down the hall and sprinted to the third door, banging loudly on it.
"Hermione!"
The watch had gone silent. The sharp clinking of Rita's form hitting the walls of her glass prison had quieted as the dorm room clicked open.
Hermione stood in front of him with a pleasant smile on her face, "Hello, Headmaster."
"Where is she?"
Hermione blinked owlishly, "I'm afraid I don't know who you are referring to."
"Rita! Where is she? Did you hurt her?"
Her brows furrowed, "Rita? Like Rita Skeeter?"
"Yes!" He ran his hands through his hair, "Rita Skeeter, a family friend and employee of the Blacks. Employed to keep an eye on Hadrian."
"Oh."
Hermione cautiously crossed the room and threw the comforter off her bed. At the foot of her bed, she reached her hand into a hole carved into the frame and withdrew a small glass jar.
Sirius rushed forward and snatched the jar as gently as he could. He tried unscrewing the lid, but it was held on fast.
"I’ve placed a personal sticking rune on the lid, and the glass is charmed unbreakable." She grinned slowly, “Only I can undo it.”
Sirius glared at the girl, "Undo it."
Hermione sighed as she pricked her finger and traced a rune on the lid before weaving a pattern with her wand; a second later, the lid vanished.
He gently upended the jar and let Rita's beetle form fall into the palm of his hand. While she looked disheveled, nothing appeared to be broken. Of course, he would have to check with Severus before he asked Rita to shift back.
"Next time you decide to take someone hostage, please consult with at least one adult." He glared at the girl, “Especially if torturing is involved.”
Hermione's bottom lip protruded, but her eyes were still defiant, "If you insist."
Sirius shook his head and left the room. He didn't know how long Rita would have lived in that jar if she had not had a mirror— whether she would have survived. He now understood why so many Slytherins were terrified of his young cousin.
He glanced down at the beetle, watching him, "It's okay, Rita, I'm taking you to Severus. It looks like I will have to give you a way out of situations like this. Perhaps I can make your mirror a portkey that will bring you to me when activated." He winced, "Of course, that's if you still wished to work with us."
“Expecto Patronum!”
The spectral grim bounded from his wand and circled his feet in anticipation.
- Tell Severus I need him right away; I’m in my office at the school.§
Severus arrived five minutes later, coming to an abrupt halt as he saw Sirius bent over a small cushion that housed the tiny beetle.
"Sirius, is that Rita?"
"Yes, she was attacked."
Severus peered down at the diminutive form of their spy, "Attacked? By Brian?"
Sirius scoffed, "No, by Hermione."
Severus blinked once, "Hermione?"
"Yes. Don’t let her smile fool you. She figured out Hadrian was being watched and assumed it was the enemy, so she trapped and basically tortured Rita, trying to determine who she was."
Severus shook his head as he leaned back over and began casting diagnosis spells, "She is a Black."
Sirius rolled his eyes as he rested his head against the wall, "Yeah, yeah, we're all a bit special. Now, can you tell me if she did any lasting damage?"
After another flick of his wand, Severus looked up, "Nothing that a few pain relievers won't fix. She's okay to shift back." He dug through the pouch in his pocket for what Sirius assumed would be pain potions.
A moment later, Rita slumped against the cushion, downing vial after vial.
She puffed out a large sigh, "Sirius, I need a raise."
He couldn't help but laugh, "Gladly, Rita. Are you feeling okay?"
She rolled her shoulders, "Nothing a bottle of wine and maybe a massage won't fix. My pride, on the other hand..."
"Hermione's a little sensitive to spies. They dealt with a lot of rats last year, quite literally. I'm sorry that she took her wrath out on you."
Rita waved a hand for him to stop, "It's fine. I've had worse. Trust me, being eaten by a bird has been hard to top."
Sirius grimaced, not wanting to know how she escaped somethings insides.
“Did you know your sadist of a cousin now has two courters?”
Sirius’s brows rose, “Hermione? She’s engaged to Theo.”
Rita laughed softly, “Hasn’t stopped Viktor Krum from pursuing her. I think having so few classes with her betrothed has been a damper on their relationship.”
“Hermione wouldn’t do that to Theo.”
Smirking, she waggled her brows, “I’m not the only one to notice.”
His brother sighed heavily, “Anything new that isn’t drama-related?”
Rita shrugged, "Did you know Hadrian has shown the foreign champions a hidden room on the seventh floor?"
Severus frowned, "The Room of Requirement?"
Nodding, Sirius answered, "Guinn said it would be better only to show the foreigners that room, as they would not be able to enter the chamber."
Rita laughed, "Oh, the chamber is such a delight. I'm rather envious I'm not still in school."
He chuckled, "Aren't we all."
"The foreign students have been using the Room of Requirement quite regularly, especially the French."
"Well, they do need a spot to study spell work."
"Sirius, some of them are there all day long. They don't even leave for classes."
"Oh," he scratched his chin, "Well, that’s a bit more suspicious."
Her brows furrowed, "But it's never the same students. It's like they alternate as if they are taking turns looking for something."
Sirius frowned. There was no way a French student could know that the room had once housed a horcrux. He turned to Severus, "Luna did not reveal how she gained the Ravenclaw title to the school, did she?"
Severus paled, "You don't think..."
"I do."
—
Severus stood in front of his House, along with the Blacks. They all stared up at him with various expressions of disinterest, a sign that told him they were intrigued to know why he had gathered them all.
“As you all know, the Triwizard Tournament is bathed in traditions. One of these traditions is that of the Yule Ball.”
He watched as many of the disinterested faces brightened, unable to hold back their euphoria.
“I gather that the majority of you are well-versed in the traditional dances. For those of you who are not, tough luck; I will not be teaching you.”
He smirked at the few red faces, “I expect all of you to uphold Slytherin values while you attend this event. If any of you are found out of bounds or out of line, you will have a week’s worth of detention with me, regardless of what your other punishment is.”
The students were getting restless, and he knew their attention was no longer on him, “Blacks, follow me.”
He made his way back to the door that led to the Black schoolhouse, his family in his wake.
When he made it to the sitting room, where Sirius and Remus were waiting, he beelined for his favorite chair. After all, Gideon and Fabian took turns trying to steal it from him.
Sirius eyed him before turning to the children, “Blacks, we are hoping that some of you will take the opportunity of the Yule ball to investigate some of the students of the visiting schools. Rita has been attempting to sniff out who put your names into the goblet but has come up empty.”
Severus’s gaze found Hermione, who was smiling sweetly up at Sirius. She was most definitely a Black.
Hadrian frowned, “So, am I not allowed to ask Daphne?”
Sirius eyed his son, “You are a champion. I don’t think you will have time to really investigate anyone.”
Fabian scoffed, “Oh, so it’s the rest of us who have to snuggle up to the enemy?”
Severus snorted, “Don’t pretend you haven’t been sniffing around the Beauxbatons or the Durmstrang ladies.”
The twins exchanged contemplative looks before chorusing, “True.”
Draco frowned, “So are you asking the rest of us to take dates other than our intended? I’m not sure how well that will be received.”
Sirius shook his head, “We are not, but if you are able to attend with a group that is taking others, cozy up to them.”
Gideon smirked, “Well, what if a certain famous individual wants to take one of ours who is intended for another?”
Severus rolled his eyes as Sirius answered, “Then it's up to that individual to decide.”
Fabian laughed, “Hear that Hermes?”
Hermione’s head whipped around, “What?”
“You could trade up!”
Her eyes narrowed, causing the twins to laugh harder.
Hadrian grinned, “Krum was fairly excited to know I was with Daphne, not you.”
With a scoff, Hermione stormed from the room.
Neville grimaced, “Does Theo know?”
Hadrian shrugged, and Severus sighed. The drama of teenagers was far from entertaining.
—
Hadrian found a disgruntled Theo in the library, huddled in the back corner behind a stack of books.
“Are you hiding?”
His friend glanced up at him and sighed, “Hiding, no. Pouting… maybe.”
Hadrian placed his bag in an empty chair and plopped down in another, “Why are you pouting?”
Theo sighed, “Hermione.”
“Oh?”
His friend groaned, “I want what’s best for her, I really do! But I also really don’t want to lose her.”
“Who says you’re going to lose her?”
Theo glared at him, “You know whose attention she caught, yes?”
“I do.”
“Yet you’re still asking me?”
Hadrian shrugged, “To my knowledge, she hasn’t shown any indication that she’s the least bit interested. She also loathes quidditch, much to the chagrin of the entire family.” His eyes narrowed as Theo bit his lip, “But I assume that you’ve been pushing her away based on the fact that she’s in the Black library right now instead of here with you.”
Theo nodded glumly, “I wasn’t lying when I said if we didn’t work out, I wouldn’t hold it against her.”
“Have you asked her to the ball? It was announced last week.”
“I… well, no, I haven’t actually asked.” He sighed, “I just assumed we’d be going together. And then, well… Krum.”
Hadrian watched as his friend began to stab holes into his parchment with his quill. Where was the boy who had helped him face werewolves the year prior? “Talk to her? It’s Hermione. She’s fiercely loyal, so I really don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Theo nodded solemnly and picked up a book, hiding behind it.
Hadrian sighed, “Good talk.” He gathered his belongings and left. The Black library was just as good of a place to do his homework.
—
Albus Dumbledore stared down at the parchment before him with trepidation.
It had taken him weeks to verify the rumors, but the little brats hadn’t been lying. Hogwarts had found her heirs.
Not one, but four heirs had managed to crop up in a single generation. A feat he would have believed impossible if not for the evidence before him. The Gringotts seal shone dimly in the corner of the page, having lost its red hue to show the page he held was a copy.
If he had not been the headmaster, the information would still be hidden from him. But he had carefully worded his request, playing to the tune that if Hogwarts truly had founding heirs, then he would need to meet with them to work together.
Of course, the goblins played their hand, informing him that the document he was seeking would have to be hand-retrieved from the Hogwarts artifact vault within Gringotts. When Albus showed up for his appointment with whom he was assured was the Hogwarts account manager, Ragnok, he was taken down what appeared to be a disused stairwell with no access to the track system. Ragnok had grinned nastily at him and told him what he sought was in the vault at the base of the stairs. The goblin had handed him a key and shooed him forward.
Albus had to descend approximately twenty floors on foot and in dim light, with not a single vault or anything other than steps in sight. He had begun to wonder if the narrow spiral stairwell actually led to an unused dungeon before he saw a solid floor. Torches flared to life as his slippers hit the last step, and he was met with a cavern with a large stone jutting out of the middle of the earthen floor. Within that stone was a simple wooden door and keyhole.
Inserting the key into the lock, Albus held his breath as he turned it. He would rather not have to walk up those steps empty-handed after learning the goblin handed him the wrong key. The key easily turned in the lock, and he prepared himself for what treasures would be in the artifact vault.
His face crumpled at what met him. A single stone altar in the middle of the room held a single roll of parchment. He did not know if he would be allowed to leave the vault with the parchment, so he unraveled the leather cord binding the scroll and laid it on the altar. With a quick flourish of his wand, the document was duplicated. After placing the original back in its original location, Albus swept from the vault.
Now, he sat in his office and contemplated the named individuals. He knew that these children were the wrong sort to have a controlling interest in his school. Albus was honestly surprised the school governors had yet to be disbanded. His gaze raked back across the names.
Susan Bones was a name he had not expected. After all, everyone knew the Smiths were descended from Helga Hufflepuff; they were quite vocal on the matter. If something were to happen to Susan, a Smith would take her place, and he wasn’t sure if he trusted the Smith Lord and his neutral stance. Regardless of Miss Bones's associations, she was raised by Madam Bones, and no one could find fault with the Head of the DMLE, not even Albus.
Luna Lovegood was also not someone he would have pictured as a founding heir. He was honestly surprised there was a position to take up, as the Ravenclaw line was said to have disappeared centuries ago. The Lovegood family were odd enough to somehow have a hidden line among themselves.
Which left Sirius Hadrian Black IV. He had known from the start that he had been a descendant of Slytherin; whether he was the true heir had always evaded Albus. Until the boy confirmed it in his second year. At the time, he had been only focused on the fact that the child had removed Tom from the Slytherin family magic. But now? Now, Albus was focused on the fact that a child so young could complete such a task. This meant Hadrian Black had been walking around as not only a founder’s heir but also a Lord for years without causing any trouble for Albus.
It unnerved him because he knew the Blacks were wary of him. Sirius and Dorea showed that time and time again in the Wizengamot and again with Sirius’s stunt with his schoolhouse. His lip curled at the knowledge that Sirius had not only desecrated Albus’s island with that monstrosity he called a schoolhouse but that Sirius had officially claimed it in the name of the Blacks.
Tapping his thumb against the now crumpled parchment, his mind rolled with ideas. The easiest way to get rid of the founder’s powers within the school was to get rid of the children holding such power.
He grinned; luckily, someone was doing half the work for him. If Hadrian Black died during this tournament, then half of his problem would be solved. The founding heirs would lose their controlling interest, and Hogwarts would be entirely in Albus’s control. It’s not like the boy was old enough to have sired his own heir.
A quick glance as his clock chimed told him that he was late for dinner. Of all nights, this was not an occasion to be tardy or, worse, absent.
He glanced down at the cobwebs that had accrued on his robes. A quick wash wouldn’t put him too far behind. After all, he was the headmaster; he was bound to have duties that would delay him.
—
Hadrian leaned in the entryway to the common room, fondly watching his friends as they laughed around the fire. They were in their dress robes, awaiting the time in which they would be meeting their dates.
Neville bumped his shoulder, “You look like Sirius right now.”
Hadrian chuckled, “He does tend to sit back and watch everyone, doesn’t he?”
His brother hummed, “You ready for tonight?”
“Dancing and espionage? Of course.”
Neville chuckled and patted his arm, “I’m gonna go meet Susan and Dudley.”
Hadrian nodded in understanding, and Neville swept down the hall.
“So, Hades,” Blaise drawled from his position on the back of the sofa, lounging as if he were in his feline form, “How many love potions did you dodge this week?”
Hadrian rolled his eyes, “Three of my own and someone mailed Daphne contaminated chocolates this morning.”
Blaise smirked, “I wouldn’t put it past Ginevra to be at least one of those attempts. She finds the notion to be hilarious.”
Hadrian rolled his eyes. The girl did have an odd sense of humor, but the twins were right there with her.
Pansy, who was lying across the couch under Blaise, her emerald dress pooling around her, sighed, “I swear, girls take forever to get ready.”
Blaise laughed as he stared down at her, “Pans, I hate to break it to you, but you’re also a girl.”
She scoffed and kicked him with her heel, “I can’t help that I don’t have to put in effort to look fabulous.”
The Italian snorted, “Whatever you say, darling.” Blaise looked around, “Is Draco still preening in my mirror?”
Hadrian chuckled at the muffled sound of his cousin, “I heard that!”
Theo smirked, “Draco, should you have gotten ready with the girls? We could’ve traded you for Pans.”
The boys laughed at the glare Draco shot his friend as he came out of Blaise’s bedroom, “I’m ready, happy?”
Hadrian smirked, “Now that the primadonna is done, let’s go meet our dates.”
Pansy leaped up from the couch and pushed Blaise from his perch, “Finally!”
She was the first out of the room, rushing past Hadrian, who had flattened himself against the wall to avoid being trampled.
“She’s excited.”
They waited in the Slytherin common room for another fifteen minutes before the girls started to arrive. Ginevra appeared first, sauntering over to Draco to close the boy’s gaping mouth, a cackle escaping her as she did so.
Blaise and Pansy, arms draped over each other, sniggered in the corner. Vince had already left the room to meet his date, a third-year Hufflepuff, while Greg waited for Millicent.
“Oh! Tracey, my dear, you look divine!” Pansy fell on Tracey, swirling her in a wide circle.
Tracey laughed and shook her head, “And you are perfect, as usual.”
Pansy flipped her chin-length black hair, “Naturally.”
“Wow.”
Hadrian turned to look back at the girl’s hallway to see Hermione descending the steps. He smiled at his cousin in her periwinkle gown; she looked great.
Theo swept forward and stole Hermione away, the both of them disappearing to a far corner. Hadrian was rather happy that Theo had gotten over his jealousy of Krum’s attentions. Hermione had honestly never given the Bulgarian a second thought, and Theo had been over the moon at the news, a bit too over the moon at times. Hadrian had taken to avoid even the Black library now.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Hadrian’s head snapped around, and his gaze fell on Daphne. She was a visage in a sleek silver dress that glinted with rhinestones, “Daphne, you are breathtaking.” His eyes raked over her from head to toe and back, “A vision, truly.”
She smiled and looped her arm through his, “You clean up nicely too.”
He chuckled, “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
The group made their way up to the entrance hall, greeting other couples along the way.
“Oh!” Pansy giggled from her position, sandwiched between Tracey and a blushing Italian, “Blaise, darling, your date’s waiting.”
Hadrian, who didn’t know who the Italian had asked, followed Pansy‘s line of sight, which led to Fleur, Fabian, and Fleur’s French friend, Armel.
“Who’s he going with?” He softly asked Daphne.
“Fleur’s friend. They’ve been disappearing quite often together.”
“Huh. I thought he was with Pansy again.”
Daphne chuckled, “Those two were not made to be monogamous.” Her voice lowered, and she smiled, “Think of him as one of your spies, taking a Frenchman to the ball to earn you secrets.”
“I see Fabian is of the same mindset.”
Daphne nodded, “Gideon is taking a girl from Durmstrang, Ivanka, I believe.”
Hadrian’s brow rose, “The leggy Pansy lookalike?”
Daphne laughed, “She does look like a taller older sister, doesn’t she?”
“Champions!”
Hadrian turned to find Professor Flitwick waving them over.
“In a few moments, the doors will open to admit the rest of the students. Once everyone is seated, the doors will open once again to admit you and your dates. The opening dance will commence immediately, and then dinner will be served.”
Hadrian and the others nodded in understanding and waited patiently for their cue.
Fabian stood with his arm around Fleur, softly whispering to each other in French, a language Hadrian was unaware he knew. Cedric leaned against the opposite wall, Cho Chang next to him, smiling to herself. Krum hummed awkwardly while a girl Hadrian vaguely recognized as a sixth-year Ravenclaw stared up at him as if she still couldn’t believe she was attending the ball with Viktor Krum.
Hadrian shared an amused glance with Daphne before the doors once again opened, music softly beginning to play.
“My lady.”
Daphne smiled sweetly and took his arm, following after Fleur and Fabian.
The great hall had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The floor looked as if it was the frozen Black Lake, and the walls had been covered in a layer of frost. Snowflakes gently fell from the enchanted ceiling, and the candle flames shone an icy blue.
Sweeping themselves into position, the champions waltzed across the floor. Daphne and Fleur were both effortlessly graceful, Hadrian and Fabian leading the two blondes with ease.
Cedric and Cho were both fairly adept, but it was obvious Cho was attempting to lead Cedric through the steps. Krum, on the other hand, lumbered through the dance as if he had two left feet. His date didn’t seem to mind as she barely managed the dance herself, too busy staring at her date.
When the music died away, they were met with polite applause. They quickly found their seats at a large round table that already sat most of the judges.
Hadrian glanced around for his father but found his seat occupied by a redhead with tortoiseshell, horned-rimmed glasses.
“Percy, a pleasure.”
Percy Weasley beamed at him, “Oh! Isn’t this exciting? Your father had an unexpected meeting and asked if I could sit in for him. I hope you don’t mind.”
Hadrian shook his head, “Of course not.”
“Mr. Weasley.”
Hadrian’s gaze found Albus Dumbledore, who was only just finding his seat.
“Good Evening, sir.”
“I did not know you would be in attendance this evening. Has the ministry sent you?”
Percy’s eyes flicked toward the ministry official-occupied seat, Silas Flint rolling his eyes at the slight.
“No, sir. I am here in place of Lord Black.”
“Lord Black?”
Brian’s brows twitched, and if Hadrian hadn’t been locked onto the old man, he would have missed it. He couldn’t help but smirk himself, “Percy is Father’s personal assistant. He’s his right-hand man, so to say.”
Percy beamed and nodded to the headmaster, whose smile was now tight with tension, “I see.”
Hadrian spent the next few minutes observing Albus Dumbledore and his continued interest in Percy. A fact his father would be made well aware of.
Daphne twined her fingers through his hand and squeezed, shooting him a warm smile, “Have you spotted Luna? She’s looking rather radiant.”
His eyes began to scan the hall, and he immediately found the little blonde.
Luna Lovegood and Padma Patil sat at a table full of Gryffindors. While Padma wore a dress traditional to her Indian heritage, Luna was in a golden dress with long strips of sheer slowing fabric pulling around her.
Luna’s magic usually reminded Hadrian of a disco ball, silver, yet reflecting the auras of all those near her as she unknowingly latched onto each one to see. Now, her dress itself gleamed with its own golden aura, a complimentary difference to her own.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, “I bet it does something when she spins.” He turned back to the other champions and their dates, who were also intrigued by Luna’s choice of dress robes.
Cho nodded and smiled softly as she tapped her menu, “She wanted to be the sun for the night.”
Hadrian glanced back at his little moon and thought she had achieved her goal. She outshone every Gryffindor with their crimson, black, and gold dress robes. Even the boy next to her in robes of the same gold as her own. Ronald’s red hair honestly clashed with any color he attempted to wear.
Everywhere he looked, he saw students, whether foreign or from Hogwarts, smiling or laughing. He felt like he was a bit closer to understanding how Guinn felt when she reminisced about all the students who passed through her walls.
One day, he and the other founding heirs could decide to step in where the founders left off. These would be his walls once again. And the thought made him feel like a part of his burden had lifted, even if it was only for the evening.
Regardless of the tournament, who entered him, or the calculating look on Brian’s face, this was a night he could genuinely look back on and cherish. This was an evening to be enjoyed and remembered.
—
Hadrian and Neville followed the twins up to his father’s study; having already dropped off their dates, they hoped to catch him before he retired for the evening.
“Gideon, reporting in!” He pushed the door open and saluted Sirius, who was lounging in his chair, a glass of firewhiskey dangling loosely from his fingers.
Hadrian quickly glanced around the room. Alice was sitting on his father’s desk, twirling her wand, and two of his uncles sat by the fire. Regulus was nowhere in sight.
Gideon continued as he plopped himself down on an ottoman, “Durmstrang’s intel proved fruitless. The other students were unaware I wore a babel-ring and spoke freely in my presence, but there was nothing of note.”
His father sighed and twirled the glass in his hand, whiskey gently sloshing around it, “Very well, how about our French friends?”
Fabian shrugged from his position, leaning against the wall, “Fleur has nothing to hide. The majority of her friends also spoke freely, and I didn’t pick up on anything that was tournament-related.”
“What about Blaise? He went with Fleur’s male friend, yes?”
Hadrian shrugged and took a biscuit when Kreacher offered it, “Honestly, they left just after dinner and never came back.”
Fabian whistled, “The Siren found himself a plaything.”
Sirius’s brows rose, “Siren?”
“Oh. Fleur said Blaise had a similar magic to hers.” Fabian scratched his neck, “Apparently, instead of an allure, if he tries, his voice and actions can have others doing as he pleases. Apparently, he’s descended from the Sirens you hear about in the old Mediterranean myths.”
Remus smirked from behind his teacup, “His mother would be a good indication that Fleur is entirely correct.”
Sirius shuddered and downed the remnants of his glass, “I’m so glad I dodged that one.”
Severus chuckled, “She was rather put out about your rejection; we had to hear about it in the dungeons for weeks. I don’t think she was used to hearing ‘no.’ I wonder if the Black madness offsets the siren call…”
“Anyway,” Hadrian cut in, “None of the students appeared suspect. None of us were able to keep an eye on the adults, though.”
“Karkaroff seems skittish but useless as always,” Severus added from his spot by the fire.
Sirius sighed, “What about Moody? Anyone able to get eyes on him?”
Severus and Remus exchanged glances and shook their heads.
Alice sheathed her wand in the holster on her arm and leaned forward, “You think Moody could be working for Voldemort? That seems far-fetched. After all, he trained both of us, and you know he is anything but a dark wizard.”
“Yes, I know.” He ran his hand down his face, “But I’m leaving no stone unturned.”
She shrugged and leaned back, bracing herself with one hand while waving the other in Sirius’s direction, “Fair enough.”
Remus cut in, “Brian wants Moody to offer a class to the fourth years and up. It’s sort of an after-school, yet not quite a club class. It wouldn’t be mandatory, but I can’t see why the students wouldn’t be interested. Moody is a legend in the DMLE.”
Hadrian and Neville nodded quickly, his brother’s words cutting off his own, “There have been so many stories going around the chamber of him in the last war. Most are interested in what he has to say.”
Sirius nodded slowly as Kreacher refilled his glass, probably thinking about the possible things Mad-Eye would teach the students, “After the first session, I’d like to revisit what he teaches.” He held up a finger over the glass, “Actually, both Alice and I should. We trained under him, so we would be best to determine any differences.”
“Why do you suspect Moody so much?”
Sirius turned toward Fabian, “He appeared the day the goblet was introduced and hasn’t been interacting very much with anyone. Moody would have my hide if I didn’t suspect him at some point.”
Fabian nodded and raised his hand, “Next question… why is Alice in her hit wizard gear?”
Gideon nodded from his upside-down position on the ottoman, “Yeah, it’s a bit much for a family talk.”
Remus and Severus shook their heads in exasperation as Sirius grinned widely and raised his glass to Alice, “Because she looks fabulous in leather.”
Hadrian grimaced and shot the twins a disgruntled look, “I will be blaming the two of you for my nightmares tonight.”a